Here’s a quick refresher from those high school and college-level theory classes on what those chords are and what they look like:Ī major chord is a group of three notes: the root, a major third above (4 half steps), and a minor third above that (3 half steps), which is the fifth of the chord. For example, a C major chord is C-E-G: the root, the third, and the fifth. There are a few different types of chords you’ll see when reading and playing lead sheets and chord charts.

So, even if you’re not in a situation where you need to play from a lead sheet on a regular basis, I think you’ll find the skills useful in the work you do, from harmonizing to composing to playing more by ear to developing flexibility, and more. This topic is especially applicable to those of you in more contemporary church settings, but I think you’ll find that the skills used in playing lead sheets and chord charts are skills we can all use - these are basic musicianship skills, for the most part. So, grab a pen and a piece of paper (or better yet, print out the corresponding practice files - there's a notes page at the end of the packet) and get ready for a crash course in how to read lead sheets and chord charts. Today, I want to share the transcript, for those of you that may prefer to read it. I'll talk about chord types, chord symbols, lead sheets and chord charts, accompaniment styles, and variation techniques you can start using right away. Last year, I put together a free online workshop on this topic ( watch it here). If you haven't guessed it by now, I'm talking about lead sheets and chord charts.

You want me to play that? Where is the left hand part? Where is the time signature? Why aren't there any barlines?

H chord piano